Heading north along the St. Helena Highway it’s difficult not to be enamored by the sheer beauty of Napa Valley. Having just left the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, we felt transported to another country far removed from the hectic city life.

With so many wineries in the region however, it can be overwhelming when it comes to selecting one to actually spend your time. But then we then stumbled upon a winery which instantly demanded our attention. An authentic 13th-century Tuscan-inspired castle nestled in the western hills on 171 acres of land.

From North Korea to Benin, from Mongolia to Madagascar, Albert Podell is one of the few people to have visited every country on earth. It took him fifty years and during his travels, he blasted his way out of minefields, came within seconds of being lynched, and coped with riots, voodoo priests, trigger happy child soldiers and Cape buffalo – all of which is recounted in great detail in his exciting new book “Around the World in Fifty Years: My Adventures to Every Country on Earth”.

He has eaten everything from old camel meat and rats to dung beetles and the “pulsating brain of a live monkey.” These are Albert Podell’s absolutely incredible tales from his adventures in eating abroad.

We’re pretty much the poster children for packing everything bar the kitchen sink, and despite fervent vows that the next trip will be different, that we’ll learn to travel light, this never ends up being the case. In fact, we travel so light that we even travel with a microwave!! For cross country road-trips at least.

It was a during recent road-trip throughout the US that we realized a portable microwave could come in incredibly handy. With the amount of time we were spending in the country to explore, we figured the time and money having a microwave would save would prove to far outweigh it’s initial cost.

We hit up Walmart to invest $40 and haven’t looked back since. The following explains exactly why our microwave now rides shotgun on each of our epic trips.

Dubai is an absolute haven for foodies, and visitors from all over the world flock here for some of the finest restaurants on earth. And with over 200 different nationalities represented, the choice in this truly multicultural destination is often overwhelming.

From world-class food festivals to international food chains, gourmet dining in Dubai Marina Restaurants, and small “mom and pop” restaurants serving authentic cuisine from all around the globe, Dubai really has something to suit all tastes.

My mouth started watering to the point where I was literally drooling as he placed a plate of street tacos in the middle of our table. My mind started racing. “How long do I have to wait before I can grab one without looking rude?” “Can I stuff the whole thing in my mouth in one go?” “Do you think the group would notice if I stole more than one?”.

The tender, succulent meat had been smoked & slow braised for 12 hours, and was sitting in plated of me with pineapple and habanero glaze on a hand-made corn tortilla. Nothing this sensational had touched my lips in well, forever…don’t tell my husband!

While recently traveling throughout Central and South America, we discovered Mike had developed a fairly severe intolerance to gluten, and this can be a fairly difficult challenge to conquer while traveling abroad. Difficult, though not impossible.

Our 4 months jumping between South American bucket list destinations was largely hit and miss with what he could and could not eat, required a lot of google translation of the back of supermarket packets, and meant some days his diet consisted exclusively of boiled eggs smuggled out of the hotel breakfast hall earlier that morning because getting sick in a remote location was not an option. We struggled often struggled with the scenario of “get sick, or go hungry”.

A town located in central Bali, Ubud is popularly known as ‘The Center of Art of Culture’.

It was described to me as a town made up of small villages, each of which specializes in a different creative art: silver and jewelry, basket weaving, oil painting, batik and textiles, and some seriously amazing wood carving.

People often ask what my favorite thing is about living in South Korea, and time and time again I can’t help but say the food! I love it! I already know that I’ll miss it once I’ve gone.

As a whole, Korean food is well balanced, full of variety, and usually pretty spicy – perfect for a spice-addict like me. Though while some Korean food might take a little getting used to, I believe there is something for everyone – the options are as varied as they are delicious.

You recently read about 5 mouthwatering Korean foods to try; well, here are five more!

When most people think of adventure travel, their minds immediately go to extreme sports, extreme conditions, or unstable environments. And while skydiving over mountains and traveling to war-torn countries certainly qualify as adventurous — even dangerous — some of the most adrenalin-producing experiences in the world can come for the traveler at mealtime.

From experimental cuisine that involves insects to a terrifying ascent to a Chinese teahouse, here are six of the most adventurous eating experiences in the world.

South America is a diverse continent comprising of some truly phenomenal cultures, each with their own authentic, local cuisine. And from Guinea Pig in Peru to Frogs Legs in Bolivia, it’s the food that travelers tend to remember the most during their time here.

There are many books to learn about traditional food of South America, though to start you off, here are the single foods you must try while traveling through South America!

Last week’s “Foodie Friday” blog was so well received that I have decided to make “food” a weekly topic every Friday! As such this week Hannah and Adam from Getting Stamped share with us their favorite flavors from around the world.